Assigm



IR..P. SAWYERS; v Postage Stamp.

No; 236,960. Patented Jan.- 25, 1881.

wax il'ya",

flzma; I %@./W% I v @Z/ W5: u 7 I v 2 MFETERS PHQTO-LITHOGRAPMER. WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

REESEP. SAWYERS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO ROBERT R. HUTGHINSON, OF SAME PLACE.

POSTAG E-STAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,960, dated January 25, 1881.

Application filed February 18,1880.

of, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure represents a back view of a portion of a sheet of postage-stamps illustrating my improvement; Fig. 2 is a face view of an envelope with a stamp applied and ready for canceling; and Fig. 3 is a similar View of the envelope, showing the irregularly torn and abraded portion of the stamp which remains affixed upon the envelope after canceling.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My invention relates to that class of stamps the cancellation of which is effected by destroying the stamp by tearing it. Heretofore stamps of this class have been gummed on a portionsay one half-of the back, with a straight line of separation between the gummed and ungummed parts, which said line'has been perforated to facilitate the tearin gof the stamp; but it will readily be seen that by this method the torn-off portion of one stamp could easily be matched to that portion of another which remains on the envelope, inasmuch as all the stamps were torn alike, so that dishonest postoffice oflicials, by procuring a number of used envelopes with the canceled stamps attached, could readily match these canceled stamps or parts of stamps with the torn-oft parts of other stamps, and thus use the same stamps over and overagain. Hence this mode of cancellation has never come into practical use.

The object of my improvement is to make it impossible to use a stamp a second time after it has once been canceled; and to this end it consists in gumming a portion of the back of each stamp in such a manner that the inner margin of the gummed part shall present a broken or irregular line of separation to the ungummed part, the stamp to be afiixed upon the envelope as usual, and the ungummed part or portion to be torn off by the proper post-oflice oflicial, which tearing, bymy improved method of gumming, is effected in an irregular or broken line, so as to make it practically impossible to match the ungummed portion (torn off in canceling) of one stamp with the gummed portion of another stamp, inasln u ch as no two stamps are gummed alike or lin can be torn asunder according to the same,

i ati'Zii In Fig. 1 of the drawings, B B represent the individual stamps. The light-shaded portion (marked S) is the gummed portion of the stamp, while the darkly-shaded lower part (marked 0) is the plain or ungummed portion, and it will be seen that each stamp is gummed not only with the inner margin of the gum (the light part) in a wave-like irregular line, but on a different line relative to the gum on the other stamps.

After the stamp has been affixed upon the envelope and this has been deposited in the post-office, the stamp is canceled by the proper oflicer by tearing off the flap or ungummed portion, (marked 0,) which leaves the upper gummed part of the stamp (marked S) sticking upon the envelope, which part will not only present an irregular or broken line of separation, not alike, practically, in any two stamps, but aportion of the remaining gummed portion of the stamp will be more or less abraded by tearing off the surface-film of the stamp, so as to leave the white paper exposed, as shown at Ain Fig. 3. Thus it will be seen that by my improvement it becomes practically impossible to match the torn-off fragment (3 of one stamp with the gummed portion S of any other stamp, and fraud by the reuse of stamps is effectually barred.

Having thus described my improvement, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States A postage, revenue,or other adhesive stamp the adhesive substance of which is applied upon an irregular portion of the back, so that the inner margin of the gum or other adhesive substance will present a wave-like irregulailine on a different line relative to the gum on the other stamps of a sheet, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and set forth.

REESE P. SAWYERS.

Witnesses OGTAVIUS KNIGHT, WALTER ALLEN. 

